Chrysanthemum plant named `Yellow Fashion Time`

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named Yellow Fashion Time, characterized by its flat capitulum form; vigorous and tall growth habit; medium decorative-type inflorescences; yellow ray florets; and good postproduction longevity.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora and referred to by the cultivar name Yellow Fashion Time.

The new cultivar is a spontaneous mutation of the commercial cultivar Fashion Time (U.S. Plant Pat. Application Ser. No. 08/627,606). The new cultivar was discovered and selected by the inventor in a controlled environment in Havant, Hampshire, United Kingdom, as a single plant among a population of plants of the cultivar Fashion Time. This single plant consistently formed inflorescences having yellow-colored ray florets compared to the pink-colored ray florets of plants of the cultivar Fashion Time.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken at Havant, Hampshire, United Kingdom, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of Yellow Fashion Time. These characteristics in combination distinguish Yellow Fashion Time as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Flat capitulum form.

2. Vigorous and tall growth habit.

3. Medium decorative-type inflorescences.

4. Yellow ray florets.

5. Good postproduction longevity with inflorescences maintaining good substance and color for more than 18 days in an interior environment.

The cultivar Yellow Fashion Time has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are similar to the mutation parent cultivar Fashion Time in plant habit and growth rate. However in side-by-side comparisons in Oxnard, Calif., under commercial practice, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Fashion Time in the following characteristics.

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are shorter than plants of the cultivar Fashion Time.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have smaller leaves than plants of the cultivar Fashion Time.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have smaller and shorter inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Fashion Time.

4. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are yellow in color, whereas ray florets of plants of the cultivar Fashion Time are pink in color.

5. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have fewer ray florets per inflorescence than plants of the cultivar Fashion Time.

A detailed comparison of plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the cultivar Fashion Time appears in Chart A at the end of the specification.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are similar to the cultivar Tip (disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,867) in ray floret color. However, in side-by-side comparisons conducted in Oxnard, Calif., under commercial practice, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Tip in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are shorter than plants of the cultivar Tip.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are not as freely branching as plants of the cultivar Tip.

3. Inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are smaller than inflorescences of the cultivar Tip.

4. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are shorter than ray florets of plants of the cultivar Tip.

5. Peduncles are longer on plants of the new Chrysanthemum than peduncles on plants of the cultivar Tip. A detailed comparison of plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the cultivar Tip appears in Chart B at the end of the specification.

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. The photograph comprises a top perspective view of a typical flowering 16.5-cm container of Yellow Fashion Time with five cuttings in the container and the terminal inflorescences removed (center-budded pot Chrysanthemum). The ray floret color in the photograph appears darker than the actual color due to light reflectance.

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Oxnard, Calif., under commercial practice in a glass-covered greenhouse with average night temperatures of 18C, average day temperatures of 20C, and light levels of 2,000 (cloudy conditions) to 9,000 (sunny conditions) footcandles.

After sticking unrooted cuttings of the new cultivar, plants received 21 long day/short nights followed by short day/long nights until flowering. Two weeks after the start of the short day/long night treatment, plants received four weekly spray applications of daminozide growth retardant at a rate of 2,500 ppm. Measurements and numerical values represent ranges or averages for six typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Yellow Fashion Time.

Commercial classification: Decoractive potted chrysanthemum.

Parentage: Spontaneous mutation of Dendranthema grandiflora cultivar Fashion Time (U.S. Plant Patent Application Ser. No. 8/627,606).

Propagation:

Type.--Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to rooting.--7 to 10 days with soil temperatures of 21C.

Rooting habit.--Fine, fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

Appearance.--Perennial herbaceous decorative potted plant. Stems upright, uniform habit and freely branching. Vigorous growth habit.

Plant height.--About 23 cm.

Lateral branch length.--18.5 to 20cm.

Quantity of lateral branches after removal of apical meristem.--About 3.5.

Stem color.--147B.

Foliage description.--Number of leaves per lateral branch: 13 to 15. Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Leaf size, fully expanded: Length: 8.5 to 9.5 cm. Width: 4 to 5 cm. Leaf apex: Acuminate. Leaf base: Attenuate. Leaf margin: Palmately lobed. Leaf texture: Upper and under surfaces slightly pubescent, smooth and dull. Veins prominent on under surface. Petiole length: About 2 cm. Color: Young foliage upper surface: 147A. Young foliage under surface: 147B. Fully expanded foliage upper surface: 147A. Fully expanded foliage under surface: 147B. Venation upper surface: 147B. Venation under surface: 147B. Petiole: 147A.

Flowering description:

Appearance.--Decorative inflorescence form. Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage, arising from leaf axils. Disc and ray florets arranged acropetally on a flat capitulum.

Flowering response.--Under natural conditions, plant flowers in the autumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other times of the year, inflorescence initiation and development can be induced under short day/long night conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Plants exposed to 2 to 3 weeks of long day/short night conditions after sticking followed by photoinductive short day/long night conditions, flower about 55 to 57 days later.

Postproduction longevity.--In an interior environment, inflorescences and foliage of flowering plants will maintain good color and substance for at least 18 days in an interior environment.

Quantity of inflorescences.--About 7 inflorescences per flowering stem.

Inflorescence size.--Diameter: About 8 to 8.5 cm. Depth (height): About 2.6 cm. Diameter of disc: About 2 mm.

Ray florets.--Shape: Long, wide. Size: Length: 3.8 to 4 cm. Width: 1.3 to 1.5 cm. Apex: Rounded. Base: Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture: Satiny, smooth and glabrous. Aspect: Flat. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 280. Color:

When opening, upper surface: 6A. When opening, under surface: 6A. Mature, upper surface: 5A, fading to 5B with subsequent development. Mature, under surface: 5D.

Disc florets.--Shape: Tubular. Size: Length: About 4 mm. Width: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets per inflorescence: About 9. Color: Immature: 154A. Mature: 12A.

Peduncle.--Aspect: Strong and angled 45° to 50° to the stem. Length: 5 to 6 cm. Texture: Glabrous. Color: 147B.

Reproductive organs.--Androecium: Present on the disc florets only. Anther color: 12A. Pollen: Moderate, 13A in color. Gynoecium: Present on both ray and disc florets. Style color: 154A.

Disease Resistance: No known Chrysanthemum diseases obeserved to date on plants grown under commercial greenhouse conditions.

Seed production: Seed production has not been observed.

    ______________________________________                                         CHART A                                                                                           YELLOW                                                                         FASHION    FASHION                                          CHARACTERISTIC     TIME       TIME                                             ______________________________________                                         PLANT HEIGHT       About 23 cm                                                                               27.5 to 28 cm                                    LEAF LENGTH        8.5 to 9.5 cm                                                                             10.5 to 11.5                                                                   cm                                               LEAF WIDTH         4 to 5 cm  6 to 7 cm                                        INFLORESCENCE DIAMETER                                                                            8 to 8.5 cm                                                                               9.5 to 10 cm                                     INFLORESCENCE DEPTH                                                                               About 2.6 cm                                                                              About 3.1 cm                                     (HEIGHT)                                                                       RAY FLORET LENGTH  3.8 to 4 cm                                                                               4.7 to 5 cm                                      RAY FLORET COLOR, WHEN                                                                            6A         62B                                              OPENING, UPPER SIDE                                                            RAY FLORET COLOR,  5A         62C                                              MATURE, UPPER SIDE                                                             RAY FLORET COLOR,  5D         62D                                              MATURE, UNDER SIDE                                                             NUMBER OF RAY FLORETS                                                                             About 280  About 350                                        DIAMETER OF DISC   About 2 mm About 3 mm                                       ______________________________________                                    

    ______________________________________                                         CHART B                                                                                           YELLOW                                                                         FASHION                                                     CHARACTERISTIC     TIME       TIP                                              ______________________________________                                         PLANT HEIGHT       About 23 cm                                                                               About 28.5                                                                     cm                                               QUANTITY OF LATERAL                                                                               About 3.5  About 5                                          BRANCHES AFTER                                                                 REMOVAL OF                                                                     TERMINAL APEX                                                                  INFLORESCENCE DIAMETER                                                                            8 to 8.5 cm                                                                               9.5 to 10 cm                                     RAY FLORET LENGTH  3.8 to 4 cm                                                                               4.5 to 5 cm                                      RAY FLORET COLOR, WHEN                                                                            6A         9A                                               OPENING, UPPER SIDE                                                            RAY FLORET COLOR,  5A         6A                                               MATURE, UPPER SIDE                                                             RAY FLORET COLOR,  5D         6C                                               MATURE, UNDER SIDE                                                             NUMBER OF RAY FLORETS                                                                             About 280  About 256                                        PEDUNCLE LENGTH    5 to 6.5 cm                                                                               3.5 to 4 cm                                      ______________________________________                                     

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named Yellow Fashion Time, as illustrated and described. 